Forever Katie And Hikaru - Side Story: Fire
by The Needless Lobsters
Summary: After ten years of being a happily married couple, Katie and Hikaru finally have everything they've ever wanted. But what happens when something (or someone) decides to try and take that all away from them? (Cover designed by ygosexual)
1. Part 1: The Fire

**I know, I should really be concentrating on the main fanfic... but I couldn't help it! When you have inspiration, you've got to write! So here you go, a very ****_very_**** future fanfic for Katie and Hikaru! WARNING: It contains spoilers (although I have a feeling that you guys probably knew that this would be the outcome for our lovely couple... considering I wrote a oneshot about it...)**

**This story, unlike my other side stories, is split into parts, so I'll be updating as soon as I finish the parts.**

**Anyway... enjoy!**

* * *

**Fire**

_PART 1 – THE FIRE_

Smoke.

That was the first thing that Hikaru smelt as he woke up. Not his usual Saturday morning pancakes, or early morning bacon.

Just smoke.

That was what forced him to open his eyes at 2am on a Sunday morning.

He groggily woke up, looking over at his wife, who lay beside him. The woman he had been married to for ten years now was sound asleep beside him, her red hair splayed out over her pillow. He smiled a little at her angelic face before the smell of smoke hit his nose again. He frowned and sat up, pushing the covers back. His amber orbs darted to the door, which was left slightly open to allow light from the corridor to filter in. He slowly got up, untangling himself from his wife's arms, before heading to the door and stepping out into the corridor.

The corridor wasn't narrow, but it wasn't wide either. The floor was carpeted and beige, and the walls were also painted beige. There were six doors that led off the corridor, one of which – the middle door on the left when approaching from the staircase – led to his and Katie's master bedroom. To Hikaru's left was the door leading to the family bathroom – a room that he barely ever used due to the fact that he and Katie had an ensuite in their master bedroom. To his right was the playroom – a room filled with toys, video games and computers to keep anyone entertained for weeks.

Across the corridor were three doors leading to his kids' rooms. One the left was his eldest daughter, Asuza's bedroom. Her hair was a reddish-auburn colour, like her mother's, but her eyes were amber, like her father's. She was eight, and was very bright, stubborn and outgoing – a combination of both her parents' well-known traits. Her bedroom door had been painted sky-blue – her favourite colour.

On the right was the door that led to his middle child's room – the room belonging to Minako. She was almost the complete opposite of Asuza, instead inheriting her dad's bright red hair and her mother's blue eyes. She was an introvert, and very bright as well, but she was definitely much more giving that her sister was. She was only one year younger than Asuza, but they argued as if they were twins. Her bedroom door was painted lilac, as purple was her favourite colour.

The middle door was painted half red, half green, and the bedroom behind it belong to his four year old twins, Rin and Kazuto. Kazuto was the older of the two, but since they were identical appearance-wise many people found it hard to tell between the two. In fact, only those in the Hitachiin family were able to truly tell between the two. The boys looked exactly as Hikaru and Kaoru had at their age, from the bright red hair right down to the amber eyes. They were also very troublesome, but were otherwise very different to each other. Whereas Kazuko was a lot like his father and uncle – always scheming, very imaginative, and ready to cause trouble at any moment – Rin was a lot more like his mother – calmer, with a love for reading and art, but still fairly childish and playful. The two seemed to balance each other out, and this is what Hikaru loved most about the boys' relationship. It reminded him a lot of how he and Kaoru were…

Each of the doors was closed, meaning that the smoke smell was coming from the staircase at the end of the corridor, to Hikaru's right.

He frowned and headed down the corridor, towards the smell, and found himself descending the stairs and heading towards the kitchen… where smoke was pouring out.

His eyes widened.

_Smoke…_

He turned and ran back upstairs to wake his wife up. "Katie! Katie!" He shook her violently.

She awoke with a start, her blue eyes flying open. "What?" she squeaked, looking around. "What is it?" Her blue orbs met his amber ones.

He opened his mouth to speak. To be honest, even _he_ didn't believe what he said next.

"Fire. Downstairs. In the kitchen."

She stared at him in disbelief. "What?!"

"There's a fire downstairs in the kitchen. I saw smoke."

It was then that the smell hit her nose, and her eyes widened to the size of saucepans. "Th-there's a fire… in our home…" she whispered, stunned and scared.

And then they were both hit with a horrifying thought.

"The kids…" they whispered simultaneously before jumping up and racing out of the room.

By then, the smoke had reached the bottom of the stairs, and the smell was now far stronger than it had been when Hikaru had first woken up – this greatly worried the father of four as he ran into Minako's room, which was situated closest to the stairs.

"Minnie! Ko-ko!" Hikaru shook his daughter awake, pulling her to her feet. "Wake up, sweetheart. We need to go."

She was clutching her teddy tightly as she was pulled to her feet, and her bright blue eyes opened suddenly. "W-wha…?"

He quickly picked her up, giving her no time to argue, before racing out of the room with her on his hip.

When he reached the corridor, he found that Katie had already gone with the twins, as their bedroom door was left open. As was Asuza's, so he assumed that she was with her mother as well.

He raced down the stairs with his daughter in his arms, pressing her small face into his chest so that she didn't breathe in too much smoke. Little Minako coughed a little as a bit of smoke got into her mouth, and Hikaru pressed her face further into his pyjama shirt.

Within minutes the two had reached the front door, and Hikaru quickly burst out into the cool night air, wrapping his arms tighter around his daughter as she shivered.

"Hikaru!"

He looked over to see his wife standing with some of the neighbours, clutching their sons. He ran over, Minako still in his arms. It was when he reached the group that he realised something was wrong.

There were only three kids.

But they had _four_…

"Where's Asuza?" Hikaru asked, looking around for his daughter.

"The neighbours have called for the emergency services, and they're on their way," Katie explained before his question registered. She frowned. "I thought you had her?" she asked, suddenly becoming very worried.

"No… I thought you—" He felt his heart drop as he realised what had happened. "No…" he muttered before putting Minako down and turning to run back into the house.

"Wait! Hikaru!" Katie called out, watching her husband race off. She bit her lip. "Please come back alive with our daughter…" she whispered, clutching the three children they had managed to save.

* * *

Hikaru grunted as he pushed the front door open, minding all of the burning debris on the ground. "Asuza!" he called out. When he heard no answer, he began searching through the home, looking in the living room, the dining room, and the downstairs playroom. "Asuza!" He returned to the bottom of the staircase. "Asuza!" he yelled frantically.

"Daddy?"

His eyes widened as he turned to look up the stairs. "Asuza?!"

"Daddy!"

He couldn't help the smile that grew on his face as he raced up the stairs. _Thank goodness… she's alive…_ He looked around the landing when he got upstairs. "Asuza, where are you?"

"M-my bedroom!" Her voice sounded scared.

He sped to her room and ran in, spotting his daughter curled up on the bed.

She sat up when he entered, her amber eyes wide. "Daddy!" She jumped off the bed and ran straight into his open arms.

He kissed her hair softly. "Oh sweetheart… don't ever scare me like that again."

She nodded before coughing a bit.

The smoke had finally reached the upper floor of the house, and it was just a matter of time before the fire would reach them as well.

Hikaru quickly pulled off his pyjama shirt, ignoring the tickly feeling in his throat, and folded it up, putting it to Asuza's nose. "Breathe through this, okay?" He hoped it would filter the smoke and ash from the air.

The little girl nodded, holding the cloth to her nose tightly as she grabbed her doll and held it in her other arm.

Hikaru picked the girl up and clutched her to his chest, wincing when he felt himself cough a little. He quickly forced the cough down before he ran out of the room and into the corridor, which was filled with smoke. He kept his head down as he headed down the corridor, trying not to get too much smoke in his eyes. He stopped when he reached the stairs.

The fire had finally reached the bottom of the staircase, the flames licking at the banister and the bottom stair. Black smoke from the burning wood filled and polluted the air, making it difficult for Hikaru to breathe without coughing.

He carefully descended the stairs, being careful so that he didn't slip or fall. He winced when his arm touched the banister, the black burn mark a reminder that his house was on fire and so everything would be hot. "Gah!" he cried when he felt the banister hit his arm again.

"Daddy?" Asuza asked nervously, trying to bring her head up to see what was wrong.

"Daddy's fine," he managed to say softly, pushing her head back down. "Keep your head down, Asuza."

She did as she was told, burying her head in her father's shoulder.

Hikaru slowly trekked down the stairs, avoiding the rising flames. He hugged his daughter to his chest, using his body to shield her from the heat. Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, part of the ceiling broke off, landing on his shoulder and burning it badly. "Ah!"

Asuza whimpered. "D-d-daddy?"

Hikaru grit his teeth, trying to bear through the pain. "Daddy's fine, sweetheart." He grunted as he pushed on, making his way to the front door. He climbed over fallen and burning debris, coughing as his lungs tried to expel the smoke and ash "We're nearly out, darling. Just hang on…"

She nodded into his shoulder, holding onto him tighter.

Hikaru pushed through the fire, gasping with relief as they entered the cool night air. It soothed the burns on his body, but did nothing to help his cough.

Sirens blared lightly outside the four-bedroom, and fire engines and ambulances surrounded the house. Katie and the younger three children were being checked-up by the paramedics on the scene.

Hikaru stumbled over with Asuza in his arms, coughing and wincing.

Katie looked up when she heard the coughing, and she got up and ran over to her husband and daughter. "Hikaru!"

Asuza turned in her dad's arms and coughed a little before smiling. "Mummy!"

Hikaru put her down and smiled weakly as his wife and his daughter embraced. Suddenly, he found himself coughing uncontrollably, unable to breathe properly.

Katie looked up at him sharply. "Hikaru, go and see a paramedic."

He frowned. "I don't—"

"Don't try to argue your way out of this." She stood and folded her arms. "Go and see the paramedics now, Hika. You sound terrible."

He nodded and headed over to a paramedic to get checked-up.

Katie smiled softly as he trudged off before turning all of her attention to her children.

Minutes later, a paramedic walked over. There was a concerned look on his face.

"Mrs Hitachiin?" the young man asked.

Katie frowned as the turned to him. "Yes… that's me…"

He took a deep breath. "It seems as if the fire affected your husband more than we anticipated…"

She tensed. "Wha… what do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.

"Mrs Hitachiin… we're going to have to hospitalise your husband."

* * *

**So... what do you think about part 1?**


	2. Part 2: The Hospital

**Hey, guys! I have to say, I am a little disappointed at the lack of reviews for the first part of this story, considering how many of you love Katie and Hikaru being together... but I still love you all! Read on and enjoy the next part of the story!**

* * *

PART 2 – THE HOSPITAL

"_…poisoning…_"

"_…fainted…_"

"_…coughing… difficulty…_"

"_…definitely…_"

"_…carbon monoxide…_"

Hikaru frowned as he heard all of the different voices talking around him. None of them really seemed to be in focus, each one of them distant and professional-sounding. He attempted to wake up – to at least open his eyes and see where he was – but instead found himself coughing uncontrollably, causing his chest to ache as he tried desperately to get oxygen into his lungs.

"He's struggling to breathe!"

He felt himself being turned onto his side so that he could breathe easier, but even when he stopped coughing he found it difficult to breathe. He tried to take deeper breaths, but nothing was working.

"Why isn't he wearing the mask?!"

"He was coughing!"

"Get that mask back on him pronto! He needs the oxygen!"

The mask was snapped onto his face, and he suddenly found it slightly easier to breathe.

"He seems stable now."

"Good. How long until we reach the hospital?"

"Not too long, hopefully."

Hikaru opened his eyes, squinting them shut at the blinding pain. Wherever he was wasn't too bright, luckily. From the vibrations he felt, he was in a vehicle. He could hear sirens.

_An… ambulance…?_

"Wha…" he tried to say, but it came out as a croak. "What happened?" he managed to choke out.

A young paramedic, seemingly female, looked down at Hikaru. "You were involved in a house fire—"

"Yes, yes, I remember _that_," he said dismissively. "I mean after that…"

"You fell unconscious, sir. You were coughing and struggling to breathe, so we gave you an oxygen mask, and whilst you were using it you collapsed."

He stared at the paramedic for a few seconds before squeezing his eyes shut as he was met with a headache. "Where's my wife?" he ground out.

"In the next ambulance with your children. You were the priority, so we left before they could join you."

He bit his lip. _So this is serious…_ "What… what's wrong with me?"

"Smoke inhalation issues. In addition to that, we believe that you have carbon monoxide poisoning."

He paled. "P-poisoning…?" He began to cough violently. He was quickly turned onto his side so that he could breathe easier. He groaned as he was hit with another headache.

_I hope we get to the hospital soon._

* * *

Katie sighed as she ran her hand through Asuza's hair, watching her sleep.

At that moment, Katie was in the Children's Emergency Ward with all four of her children. All four of them had been given check-ups after they had rivved, and it seemed that Asuza was the only one that had really been at risk. The other three had inhaled minimal smoke.

In fact, even Asuza had inhaled minimal smoke, thanks to Hikaru.

_Hikaru…_

The last she'd heard of him, he had been taken in for a scan on his lungs, to make sure that his lungs were alright. She, personally, hoped that there was nothing wrong with his lungs – she had never liked complications. She'd had complications with the twins, which had led to the C-section she'd had instead of the natural birth. The complications had caused so much worry…

She was startled out of her thoughts when Asuza coughed and shifted in her sleep. She ran her hand through her curly auburn locks to calm her down, smiling when her daughter settled down and fell asleep again. She leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you, princess."

There was a knock on the door. "Mrs Hitachiin?"

Katie looked over at the door to see a young doctor standing there, a clipboard in his hand as he stood fairly awkwardly. It seemed as if he was fairly awkward around people in general – a feeling that Katie fully understood.

"Yes?" She stood. "Is this about Hikaru? How is he?"

The doctor looked slightly nervous as she bombarded him with questions, but he quickly straightened up. "Yes, this is about your husband, Mr Hitachiin. We've completed the x-ray, and fortunately we haven't found any serious damage to his lungs. However, we will still have to monitor him for the rest of his stay in hospital and we will be repeating the scan, in case any delayed lung injury occurs. We have also tested his carboxyhaemoglobin and methemoglobin levels, and we've found that her has inhaled some carbon monoxide from the fire – quite a bit, in fact." He began to look through the clipboard. "I believe you know of the nearby Ootori Private Hospital?"

She nodded. "Are you going to transfer him?" she asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately, we don't have the resources for Hyperbaric Oxygenation here, and that is the nearest hospital with the resources needed. There is just one complication, however…"

"We can pay for the treatment," Katie answered quickly. "Just get him transferrend."

The young doctor nodded. "If you insist." He turned on his heel and began to walk out.

"Hey!"

He turned back.

"You don't have to be scared of me, you know. I don't mind." She smirked. "It's my husband who has the temper."

A small smile graced the young doctor's face as he nodded and left the room.

* * *

Hikaru coughed violently into the mask as his lungs tried to expel the soot settled there. "Are… you sure… the scan… was clean…?" he managed to splutter out between coughs. "It… doesn't feel… like it…"

The nurse nodded. "That's what the doctors said, so that's what I'll follow." She helped him to sit up so that he could breathe easier.

He pulled the mask off his face as he continued to cough, the extra oxygen not helping one bit. Eventually, he stopped coughing, and he took a deep breath before putting the mask back over his mouth. "I think they made a mistake," he muttered.

"Well, if you're coughing that seriously, then they must have," Katie pointed out as she walked into the room.

Hikaru smiled when he saw his wife, his amber eyes lighting up. "Hey, honey."

Katie walked over to the bed. "Hey, Hika." She kissed his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

He closed his eyes. "Terrible. I've got a splitting headache, I can't really breathe without the mask on, and whenever I cough I cough so bad it feels as if I'm actually going to cough my lungs out."

"Well, consider yourself lucky. They didn't put the tube down your throat."

"True." He sighed. "Stupid house fire…"

Katie nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. "The police are investigating it. They think it was an arson attack…"

"Arson attack…" He sighed. It was definitely possible, considering his family status. Although why anyone would want to attack the Graphic Designer son for the CEO of a major computer company and a major Fashion Designer was beyond him. He clenched his fist. His children had nearly died because of this…

Katie saw his clenched fist and gently put her hand on his. "Calm down, Hikaru." She kissed his cheek. "The kids are alive, and it's all thanks to you. You saved our children, Hikaru. Don't beat yourself up over this one thing like you used to do in high school. We're parents now."

He sighed before coughing, pulling his mask off his face again. "When… am I… getting transferred?" he managed to ask.

"Tonight. They want to get you into HBO tomorrow. Did they tell you about the transfer?"

He knew he should have asked what 'HBO' was, but he really couldn't gather the strength to do so. So he just nodded. "Yes, they told me…"

She nodded, kissed his forehead and caressed his cheek. "After HBO, they'll allow visitors."

"O-okay…" He suddenly felt nervous. _Kaoru…_

"Kaoru knows, Hikaru. I've called him." She kissed his softly on the nose. "He, Andrea and the kids have been very worried about you. I think he nearly had a heart attack when he heard about the fire, and he was even worse when I told him you had been admitted…"

"Why did you _tell_ him?!"

"He's your brother, that's why."

Hikaru frowned. "But still…"

"Hika, you're acting like you're eighteen again. Just because we're together doesn't mean that we have to keep Kaoru out of the loop and treat him as a third wheel again. We need to tell him these things. He worries for you." She leaned close to his face. "He's _family_."

He averted his eyes. She'd got him there. He couldn't fight the fact that his brother was family… "Where's the doctor?"he asked, changing the subject. "I want to be transferred as soon as possible."

Katie sighed. "You are such a _child_," she muttered before getting up to find a doctor.

* * *

"Asuza?"

"Asuza…"

"Asuza!"

When Asuza woke the next morning, she hadn't expected it to be to the voices of her three younger siblings right in her ear. It didn't help that she, like her father, was an anti-morning person, and so she instinctively reached out and hit the nearest thing.

Which happened to be Minako's face,

"Ow!" the younger girl squeaked, glaring at her sister.

The twins giggled.

"Well, next time don't put your face near my fist," Asuza mumbled sleepily.

"How about you keep your fist away from my face?" Minako bit back sourly.

Asuza opened one eye to glare at her sister. "It's your fault for trying to wake me up, baka."

"Oh, shut up, orokana."

"You're such a—"

"Hey!" a familiar voice called from the door. "None of that, thank you!"

All four children broke into huge grins. "Auntie Andrea!"

Andrea smiled and walked into the room, picking the twins up as they ran up to her. "It sounds like you're all well, then."

Rin and Kazuto nodded. "Yup!"

She smiled and walked over to the bed with them. "And how about you two?" she asked the girls. "Back to your regular fighting selves?"

The girls just grinned.

Andrea chuckled. "You two amuse me so much…" She looked around. "Where's your mummy?"

The girls shrugged. "We don't know."

"Mrs Hitachiin is with her husband at the moment, sorting out his transfer to the nearest Ootori Private Hospital," a nurse informed them as she entered to room.

Rin grinned. "That's where you work, Auntie Andrea!"

Andrea nodded. "A transfer, huh?" She thought for a few seconds. "Can I have the release papers for the kids?"

The nurse nodded. "I'll just inform the doctor," she said as she turned and left the room.

Andrea turned to the kids, grinning. "How do you guys feel about a sleepover?"

Each of the four children looked at each other, silently asking each other the same question, before turning to their aunt with huge grins on their face.

"Yay!"

* * *

**So, what do you guys think? Please review!**


	3. Part 3: The Visits

**Hey, readers! I have the third part to the story here for you! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

_**PART 3 - THE VISITS**_

Hikaru sighed and closed his eyes as he lay back on the plush hospital bed, sinking into the pillows.

The HBO had gone well, fortunately, and Hikaru was now nearly fully recovered from the carbon monoxide poisoning. It had also turned out that there was, in fact, a lot of soot in his lungs from the fire, which had been found and removed when he's first arrived at the Ootori Private Hospital. Everything had been so efficient from the moment he'd arrived that he was pretty much 95% within a week.

95% because there was a bit of scarring in his lungs. That was permanent. It wouldn't affect him seriously, but he was unable to do certain things for the next month or so, like play extreme sports, or… over-exert himself in _certain_ ways…

He opened his eyes when there was a knock on the door, and he resisted sighing exasperatedly when he saw his doctor come in.

Since his case was considered "his priority", as he was good friends with Kyoya Ootori, he had been assigned one of the best doctors in that hospital at that moment.

Which happened to be Akito, Kyoya's brother.

"Good afternoon, Mr Hitachiin," he greeted.

"I would tell you to call me 'Hikaru', but you still annoy me," Hikaru answered with a smirk.

Akito glared at him before looking down at his clipboard and mumbling sourly to himself, "Stupid Kyoya and his stupid smartass friends…"

"We're adults and you're still going on about that?"

"Shut up, Hitachiin."

"That's no way to treat a patient."

"Why you—"

There was a knock on the door, and a nurse stuck her head into the room. "Dr Ootori, Mr Hitachiin has visitors," she informed.

Akito just nodded. "Thank you, nurse." He turned back to Hikaru when the nurse left. "Your vitals seem stable at the moment, and you're well on your way to as close to a full recovery as you'll get. We just need to keep monitoring you for a few more days before we'll release you."

The door opened, and a group of males walked into the room. "Hikaru!"

Akito groaned. "It's you…"

Kyoya just raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Yes, it's us. Now, if you don't mind, could you please get on with your job so that we may do what we came to do?"

Akito narrowed his eyes and glared at his younger brother. "Stupid show-off businessman…" he grumbled as he walked out of the hospital room.

As soon as Akito was gone, three of the five males ran over to the bed.

Hikaru smiled. "Hey, Hunny, Tono, Kao…"

"How are you?" Tamaki asked. "How are you feeling?"

Hikaru smiled. "I'm fine…"

"You don't look fine," Kaoru pointed out. "You're paler than usual. You have bandages covering burns. How can you say that's alright?!"

"Because I _am_ alright!" Hikaru snapped, his temper suddenly flaring. "I'm alive, aren't I? And I saved my children! Yeah, I've got a couple of burns and scars, and I had to have some treatment for my lungs, but I'm safe!"

The others stared at him in shock before Kaoru suddenly reached forward and pulled his brother into a tight hug.

"I was so worried…" Kaoru whispered.

Hikaru hugged him back, calming down. "I know, Kao, but I'm okay now. I promise."

Kaoru smiled and pulled away. He held out his pinkie finger. "Pinkie promise?"

Hikaru had a deadpan expression on his face. "Kaoru, we're 35."

"So?"

"Seriously. Grow up a little."

"Oh please. Have you _seen_ who I'm married to? And you're telling me to grow up."

The group laughed among themselves.

"How's Haruhi?" Hikaru asked Tamaki with a smiled.

"She's well. Fantastic, in fact! She's working on a law case concerning poisoning…" Tamaki explained. "It's pretty interesting at times… especially when she tells us stories. You should come over with the family sometime. We all miss you."

Hikaru smiled softly. "I'll try. Work's been getting in the way quite a bit, what with deadlines and everything."

"Ah… well, whenever you're free, just give us a call."

"Sure."

"How are the kids?" Mori asked.

"Better than I am, at least," Hikaru sighed. "Asuza was the worst off, and she only inhaled minimal smoke. The other three are perfectly fine."

"Have you seen them recently?"

"I saw them yesterday." He let out a small chuckle. "Asuza and Minako are bickering as usual. The twins are still mischievous… maybe even more so than they used to be."

Mori chuckled. "I can imagine."

Kyoya cracked a small smile. "Those two really are Hitachiins, aren't they?"

Kaoru snorted. "You should see my girls. Andrea almost stopped having kids with me because of them."

"Well, Andi-chan wasn't exactly the quietest and kindest person, was she?" Hunny pointed out with a smirk.

Hikaru chuckled. "Yeah… but at times you'd realise exactly why you were friends with her. She's smart and loyal."

Kaoru nodded. "And she's got a good sense of humour too." He smiled. "I'm not surprised I fell in love with her…"

"Watch out, sappy story alert," Hikaru joked.

Tamaki hit Hikaru on the arm lightly. "Leave him and his love life alone," he chided lightly.

"I would if he didn't keep telling us about it."

"How is _your_ wife, Hikaru?" Kyoya broke in with a raised eyebrow.

Hikaru averted his eyes, his fingers playing with the sheets nervously. "She's… shaken. She hadn't expected the fire – neither of us did – but me getting admitted just made it worse. She feels better now that the kids are alright…" He looked up at Kyoya. "Are your police on the case?"

Kyoya frowned. "Not yet. Why?"

"They think it was an arson attack on me and my family," Hikaru explained. "I want your police on the case. I trust them more, and they're more efficient."

Kyoya nodded and pulled his phone out. "I'll get right on it."

"An arson attack…?" Kaoru whispered, paling a little. He turned to Hikaru. "You don't think—"

"They won't attack you, Kaoru," Tamaki told him comfortingly. "We'll make sure of it."

"We can get protection set up at your place," Hunny suggested. "We'll make sure the kids are safe/"

"Could you… double that protection?" Hikaru asked uncertainly.

"Why?" Kaoru asked.

"Because I'm staying at your place."

* * *

Katie sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, feeling exhausted.

Andrea had suggested that they all stayed at hers and Kaoru's until everything was sorted out. That meant either until their house was fixed or until they were able to find a new place.

Of course, she had decided this without Kaoru.

As she usually did.

"You made this decision _without_ me?!" Kaoru exploded.

"Kao," Andrea responded calmly, "they're in-laws. We have the space. They're family."

"I know that!" he snapped. "What _peeves_ me off is the fact that I found this out from _my brother_! You didn't even consult me!"

"Because I knew what your answer would be."

"That doesn't matter! You should have at least _told_ me!"

"I was going to."

"Oh yeah? When?"

"When you decided to go and visit Hikaru. You left before I could say anything." She turned and began to set out the dishes for dinner. "Besides, they've been here for a week, Kaoru. You've been away on business." She glared at him. "This wouldn't happen if you called home more."

He faltered before sighing, getting up and hugging his wife from behind. "I'm so sorry," he told her, kissing the back of her neck softly.

Katie groaned. "Hello? I'm still here! And now I've got a headache from your yelling!" She glared at Kaoru.

He blushed and stepped away from his wife sheepishly. "Sorry."

Katie sighed. "I'm just so stressed…" She rubbed her temples with her forefingers, groaning slightly.

"Then why don't you have an early night?" Andrea suggested as she finished preparing the table for ten.

Katie raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "I'm not a _child_, Andrea."

"An early night never hurt anyone."

Kaoru scoffed. "It does when you have deadlines to meet."

Andrea smirked. "That was your own fault. It was you who decided to join me in the shower and—"

"Okay!" Katie butted in. "I do not need to know about… _that_ part of your life!"

Kaoru chuckled. "Are you sure? We could go into _all_ the details…"

"La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la," Katie chanted childishly as she blocked her ears.

Andrea and Kaoru began laughing.

"What are you doing?"

All three adult turned to see Andrea and Kaoru's eldest, their daughter Natsumi, standing at the door. They all smiled innocently.

"Hey, Nat," Kaoru greeted. "How are you?"

"Fine…" the seven year old answered slowly. "But you didn't answer my question."

The three adults glanced at each other before Andrea grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"We were just talking about how much your mummy and daddy love each other," she cooed, leaning her head on Kaoru's shoulder.

He took the hint, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Yes we were," he agreed, turning Andrea and nuzzling his nose against hers.

Natsumi cringed. "Ewww!"

"Mhmm… I love you very much."

"I love you too…"

He kissed Andrea, making sure to make a show of it.

The little girl gagged before running out of the room.

Katie chuckled at the act. "I guess we all get rid of our kids in the same way."

"It's a very efficient method," Andrea pointed out as she pulled away from Kaoru. "Very efficient indeed."

They laughed before calming down as the doorbell rang.

Kaoru frowned. "We're not expecting anyone… are we?"

Andrea shook her head. "Not that I know of…"

They heard the front door open. "Mummy! Daddy's friends are here!"

Andrea sighed. "I'll order pizza," she muttered before walking out to get the phone.

* * *

Hikaru sighed as he sat in the car, wedged in between Mori and Hunny in the backseat. He felt a little uncomfortable, finding it hard to breathe despite the fact that he had recovered. He felt quite claustrophobic.

"How long have we got left of the journey?" Hunny whined.

Tamaki sighed as he took the next left. "Not long," he said. "Which turning now, Kyoya?"

"It's the next street on the right," Kyoya answered. He turned to face Hikaru. "Are you alright?"

Hikaru had had his eyes closed, and they snapped open when Kyoya spoke to him. "Just a little claustrophobic…" he admitted. "Are you sure we can't open the windows? The air back here is too stuffy…"

Mori opened the window. "There."

"Thank you."

The group drove on, the car turning right onto the street Kaoru lived on.

"Well, I can see why they live here," Kyoya muttered.

The street was lined with fairly large, detached five bedroom houses, each with small front yards. They all looked comfortable and homely, and eventually they stopped at a house near the middle of the street.

"Here we are," Tamaki announced, turning off the engine.

Kyoya climbed out. "Come on, guys. Let's get in before dinner."

Hikaru scoffed as he climbed out after Hunny. "You sounded too casual. I don't like that." He steadied himself as he stood, not completely used to walking after spending one week in bed.

Kyoya chuckled. "I can't be a businessman all the time."

Tamaki walked up to the front door with Hunny as Kyoya and Mori helped Hikaru. He rang the doorbell.

The door was opened by a little girl, around the age of seven. She had dark curly hair and big dark eyes, but had mixed-race skin. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity, wearing a pink t-shirt and white shorts, before turning to call out to her parents.

Tamaki smiled back at Hikaru. "I'm guessing they weren't expecting guests?" he pointed out as they walked into the house.

Hikaru snorted with a grin. "They never do."

* * *

**So... review!**


	4. Part 4: The House

**Here's your next part of the story! It's nearly finished - the next part will be the last one! Also, I wouldn't expect it to be up too soon, because I've got major exams coming up - it took me ages just to write this!**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

**_PART 4 ___****-** THE HOUSE

Hikaru sighed as he sat in the back of the five-seater family car, his eyes closed.

Today, the four close friends were going back to Katie and Hikaru's old place. It had been about two weeks since the fire, and the house had finally been cleared as safe for the adults to visit. They'd received the call the night before, and that had been when the decision to visit the house had been made.

"Hikaru?"

He opened his eyes and looked over at his brother, who was sitting beside him. Andrea had been made the designated driver, and Katie had called shotgun, leaving the two men in the back.

"Yeah, Kaoru?" he asked.

Kaoru seemed to think about what to say before opening his mouth a few seconds later. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Hikaru smiled gently at Kaoru as he nodded. "I'm fine. Maybe a little nervous about seeing the house, but I'm fine otherwise."

Kaoru nodded. "If you say so." He patted his shoulder. "I've got boxes in the boot so that we can pack some stuff."

"Okay."

Katie looked back at the two. "Hikaru… you know that time I told you to move the photos upstairs…?"

"I moved the photos, don't worry," Hikaru sighed. "To be honest, you told everyone to take their stuff upstairs the night before the fire.

"Oh, good."

Andrea smiled. "So you didn't lose any photos or valuables, then?"

"I hope not," Katie muttered. "Losing our home is enough."

The pulled up in front of the half-burnt house and climbed out, each of them staring at the building in slight horror.

It was clear to see that the house had been in some sort of fire. The four-bedroom home, which had once been painted white, was now black. The walls for the ground floor had peeling black pain on them, and the windows had either melted or blown out. The upper floor didn't seem to be as damaged, with only parts of the outside walls now black and the windows slightly burnt.

Katie didn't realise she had been going into shock until she felt Hikaru take her hand. She jumped and turned to him quickly.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

She blinked before nodding a little.

"You look pale," he commented quietly. "What's wrong?"

Katie bit her lip. "I-it's just…" Her voice wavered. "T-that's our h-house…" she whispered. "Our home."

He pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her hair. "I know, Katie… I know…"

Andrea and Kaoru had already recovered from their slight shock, and were already heading towards what was left of the broken-down front door. They looked inside the house.

To say that it was burnt would be an understatement.

The walls inside were completely black, peeling, with the plaster cracked and littered all over the floor. The ceiling wasn't much better, as it was covered in cracks and holes that allowed you to see the floorboards of the floor above. It was decorated in black spots from where the flames had licked at the ceiling long enough to burn it. The floor was covered in ash and debris, making it difficult for anyone to walk through the house without tripping. Any pictures that had once hung on the walls had been burnt, the remains on the ground with glass from the frames melted to them. The furniture in the corridor was all destroyed – the vase that Kaoru had lamely bought Hikaru lay shattered on the ground, partly burnt and melted. To be honest, nothing on the ground floor had been left untouched, everything damaged in one way or another.

"Oh my goodness…"

The two turned to see Katie and Hikaru standing beside them, taking in the state of the house. There were tears in Katie's eyes as she looked around, whilst Hikaru's gaze was fixed on the broken vase.

"Katie," Andrea said softly, catching her attention. "Let's start packing stuff upstairs," she suggested.

Katie nodded, pulling herself away from Hikaru to follow Andrea shakily up the half-burnt staircase.

Hikaru's eyes were fixed on the vase, and he tentatively walked over to it. He could remember the day Kaoru had given the vase to him – it had been quite warm, considering he and Katie had moved into the house in the early autumn as soon as they had returned from their honeymoon. Kaoru had decided to visit and give them a lame 'Welcome Home' gift, which Hikaru had soon found out was just a vase. He'd never had the chance to tell him how much the vas had actually meant to him – how he had nearly yelled at Katie for moving the vase; how he'd literally dived for the vase every time one of his kids had hit the table; how he stared at it for a few minutes every time he got home from a long business trip…

"Hikaru…?" Kaoru asked softly, walking over to his brother.

Hikaru knelt down and began to pick up the pieces. "This was my favourite vase…" he muttered.

Kaoru blinked. "It… it was?"

Hikaru nodded, sighing softly. "It reminded me of simpler times… before the kids… when it was just the four of us. A married couple and an engaged couple. No kids to worry about continually, no careers to keep up… just us."

Kaoru knelt down beside him. "Those were some good times," he agreed.

Hikaru dropped the vase pieces suddenly, shaking. "It's all gone, Kao… everything…"

Kaoru pulled his brother into a hug. "Hey… not everything is gone…"

Hikaru finally broke down, crying into Kaoru's shirt. He had tried so hard to stay strong for his family, but seeing the house was just too much for him. His world had been amazing… so great… and then the fire had brought everything crashing down.

Kaoru hugged his brother tightly as he cried into his shirt, rocking him gently. He had been through so much already, and had kept it all bottles up inside him. Now it was all pouring out, and he couldn't stop.

Hikaru clutched to Kaoru's shirt. "E-e-everything's g-gone… r-r-ruined…" he sobbed, shaking as he continued to cry. "M-my life's f-f-fucked up-p…"

Kaoru frowned. He'd never really heard his brother swear before. "Don't say that! You haven't lost everything! You've lost a building – so what? You still have a family!" He pulled away to look him in the eye. "You still have us."

Hikaru hiccupped, his face and eyes red and puffy from crying. "B-b-but… I've l-lost m-my home…" he whispered.

Kaoru thought for a minute before place his hand on the middle of Hikaru's chest.

Hikaru frowned. "Wh-what are you…?"

"Home is where the heart is," Kaoru told him softly. "It's not the building that was your home, Hikaru. It's the family that lived inside."

Hikaru listened to what Kaoru said. _The family that lived inside…_ It was his family that had lived inside the building. Every day he came home from work, he looked forward to seeing them, not the house. The house was just a symbol of those who lived within. "Where the heart is…"

Kaoru nodded.

"B-but… why attack my home?"

"They wanted to break your heart." Kaoru moved his hand from Hikaru's chest. "Don't give them the satisfaction."

Hikaru found himself staring at the broken vase pieces again. "Everything has a reason…" he whispered, touching the pieces lightly.

"Some reasons are just darker than others," Kaoru added.

"Yeah…" He looked up at Kaoru. "Thanks. For everything."

Kaoru smiled. "It's alright. That's what brothers are for."

Hikaru managed a small smile. "Yeah…"

The two heard footsteps and turned to see Andrea and Katie descending the stairs, each of them holding a large box.

"We've packed up all of Asuza's stuff," Katie explained as they walked down. "Can you believe it took up two boxes, Hika? It took us ages…" She trailed off when she registered his red face and puffy eyes that matched her own. Her husband had been crying. Her _husband_ had been _crying_. "Hika…?"

Hikaru rubbed at his eyes furiously, wiping away the tears. "I'm fine," he answered quickly. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Katie watched him carefully before sighing. "If you say so." She reached the bottom stair. "We need your help gathering and packing all of our stuff upstairs. All the rooms are fine, apart from the floorboards being a little unstable, so we can go into the rooms and gather up our stuff."

Hikaru stood, nodding as he smiled weakly. "Sure." He pecked her softly on the cheek as he passed her. "I'll be upstairs, then. Come on, Kao!"

Kaoru smiled as he stood, jogging after his brother. He winked at his wife as he passed her, grinning when she smiled. "We'll see you upstairs, then."

Andrea nodded as she carried the boxes outside with Katie.

The two men headed upstairs, walking straight into the games room.

This room had to be the most damaged out of all of the rooms on this floor. The floorboards were quite burnt, with some burn marks on the walls as well. The ceiling was covered in soot – as was every gaming console and computer in the room. The only item that had been left untouched was the chest of drawers in the far corner.

Hikaru walked over to the chest of drawers, stepping over the now damaged games consoles to reach it. Kaoru followed, nearly bumping into his brother when they stopped.

"What's in there?" Kaoru asked as he stood beside Hikaru, watching him open one of the drawers.

"Pictures," Hikaru muttered quietly, with a small smile. They hadn't been damaged at all. He pulled out a large album with black covers.

Kaoru stared at the album, watching as Hikaru opened it to a random place. His eyes widened at what he saw.

It was a group photo, clearly. There were many people in it, and Kaoru could easily recognise the faces. All of Katie's friends from England… plus the Host Club. And they all looked so happy, so young… so carefree.

"When was this taken?" Kaoru asked.

Hikaru smiled. "Remember that summer when the others came back from Boston, and then Katie's friends came over from England?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah… that was the summer we spent the weekend at the beach."

"It was that weekend."

He smiled. "That was a fun weekend."

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah…"

Kaoru reached into the drawer and pulled out another album. He opened it to the first page and smiled at what he saw. "Are these Asuza's ultrasound scans?"

Hikaru looked over. "Yeah. Katie wanted to keep them. I never really saw any point in it until after she was born…"

"You know, we've still got all of ours."

"Really?"

"Well, when you're married to someone like Andrea, you have no choice."

Hikaru laughed genuinely.

"What's wrong with being married to me?" Andrea asked as she walked into the room with Katie, carrying some empty boxes.

"I thought you'd start with the other rooms?" Kaoru asked back, avoiding his wife's slight glare as he changed the subject and focused on the album.

Hikaru snorted. "Whipped," he muttered under his breath.

"Shut up," Kaoru pouted.

The other three just laughed.

* * *

**So... review, guys!**


	5. Part 5: The End

**So, here we are , readers! This is the last part of the story! I hope you enjoy reading it - yes, it is a happy ending, so you don't need to worry about anyone important dying or whatnot. This may be the last thing I post for a while... although next week is half term, so I'll try to get the next episode of the main story written and updated for you all! Keep in mind that I'll be updating my other stories too, though!**

**Anyways, read on, and thank you all for reading this!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_PART 5 – THE END_

"Daddy, daddy! Throw me the ball!"

"Okay – go long, Zuto!"

The elder twin giggled as he raced after the ball that was thrown, his little legs carrying him to the far end of the garden.

It had been two months since the fire. After everything from the previous house had been packed and stored in the main Hitachiin manor – where Ageha had taken care of every single one of them as if they were worth their weight in diamonds – Hikaru and Katie had sold their house to a couple of building developers and had gone on a long search for a new one. And the search had been, indeed, very long – too far from family, too small, too big (although Hikaru had suggested they fill the space with more kids – Katie hadn't been amused), not the right layout, too 'boxy' (that had been Hikaru's objection – Katie assumed he just didn't like the fact that the house was pink), not enough outdoor space, too isolated…

When they actually found a place, it was because the place was suggested to them by Andrea and Kaoru.

"There's a house not too far from here," Kaoru had said. "Why don't you check that out?"

Now they were living in a brand new five bedroom house, which had two living rooms, a large kitchen, a dining room, a downstairs toilet, two family bathrooms, a large study, an ensuite in one of the bigger rooms (which was the master bedroom), an attic, and a large garden.

And it was right across the street from Kaoru.

Katie smiled as she watched Hikaru, Kazuto and Asuza through the kitchen window. She was glad to see that her family was gradually going back to normal.

"Mummy…"

She turned to Rin, her youngest, who was sitting at the breakfast bar. "Yes, sweetheart?"

Rin looked down at the book in front of him, pointing to a word on the page. "What does this say?"

She smiled and moved to sit beside him, in between the little boy and his older sister, Minako, who was at that moment attempting to sketch the scene outside.

Not only had the family found a new house, but the reason for the house fire had also been discovered.

Kyoya's police had quickly found out that it had, in fact, been an arson attack on the Hitachiins, and it had only taken a week to discovered, track down and arrest the attackers. They had been a group of anti-bourgeois campaigners that had decided to attack the family to get the media's attention. They also happened to be a group of Lobelia fangirls, which was why they had attacked a Host Club member and not anyone else.

Once the group had been found and arrested, they were taken to court and charged for arson and attempted murder. They not only had to pay for the medical treatment that Hikaru had received, but they had to serve a 15 year prison sentence.

Needless to say, Hikaru felt very relieved and much safer.

So, now, here they were, one month or so after the court case, in their new home and starting over. The stuff they had managed to recover was used to decorate the home, making it very cosy.

"Mummy, look at this!" Minako held up her sketch of the scene outside.

Katie looked at the sketch, smiling. "That's beautiful, sweetheart."

Minako blushed, although she was smiling slightly. "Are we gonna put it on the fridge?"

"Of course!" Katie kissed her forehead. "Just date it and sign it, honey."

Minako nodded and did just that.

Rin looked over. "Can I draw too?" he asked quietly.

Katie smiled. Trust her to get stuck with the quieter two. "Of course, sweetie. Go and get a pencil and some paper."

Rin nodded and jumped off his stool, running off to get the supplies.

Minutes later, Hikaru, Kazuto and Asuza ran into the kitchen, laughing and panting.

Katie merely rolled her eyes at them. "Have fun with dad?" she asked the two kids.

Kazuto nodded as he ran over to the stool where Rin had sat and climbed up to sit on it. "We played 'Hide and Seek', and 'Tag', and 'What's The Time Mister Wolf'!" he exclaimed.

"Really?" Katie asked. "That sounds fun."

"It was!"

Asuza looked over Minako's shoulder before grabbing the sketch to look at it. "What's this?" she asked.

Minako frowned and tried to snatch it back. "Hey! That's mine!" she whined.

Asuza just held it out of her sister's reach. "What did you draw? It that a tree?"

"_Asuza_!"

Hikaru sighed and sntached the drawing form Asuza, returning it to Minako. He then flicked the older girl on the forehead. "Don't be mean to your sister."

Asuza pouted and rubbed her forehead. "Yes, daddy."

Just then, Rin returned with his paper and colouring pencils. He frowned. "Kazuto! That's _my_ seat!"

Kazuto huffed and crossed his arms. "It's mine now."

Katie groaned as the twins started fighting over the seat, her head in her hands, whilst Asuza started teasing Minako again.

Hikaru gave his wife a sympathetic look before clapping to get the kids' attentions. "Who wants pizza?" he asked.

"Me!" they chorused.

"The first to find the delivery menu gets to pick the toppings!"

The four cheered before running off to find the menu.

Katie smiled gratefully at Hikaru as he moved to sit beside her. "Thanks."

"No problem." He kissed her forehead. "Headache?"

"Yes." At the look he gave her, she sighed. "No, I'm not pregnant. I checked yesterday. I just have a cold, okay? Or the flu."

He nodded. "Okay." He felt her forehead. "It explains why you're a little warm…"

She smiled tiredly. "See…?"

"Head to bed early today, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

He chuckled, sticking his tongue out at her childishly, before kissing her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too, but if you keep kissing me you'll catch what I've got."

"Wanna bet?"

"You think you won't?"

He smirked. "If I win, we're having another kid."

She paused before nodded. "Deal."

He kissed her again, more deeply this time.

The kiss was cut short by a chorus of squeals and '_Ewwww_'s.

Katie chuckled as she pulled away.

Hikaru merely shook his head with a smile.

He was glad that his family was back to normal.

**-FIN-**

**So... there it is! The ending! I hope it was happy enough for you! I'd love to hear what you thought of it!**


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